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A tale of two touchstones
by Mike Rycroft, Editor
 Much has been said recently about the shortage of qualified entrants into the engineering profession in particular and technology based careers in general. The blame is generally placed on the shortcomings in the education system and its inability to prepare learners for careers, particularly in the teaching of mathematics and science... ( more) |
Eskom and BHP Billiton dispute contract termination date
by Chris Yelland, Investigative Editor
 Differences in interpretation between Eskom and BHP Billiton in respect of the termination date of the electricity supply agreement for the Hillside Potline 1 and 2 aluminium smelters in Richards Bay, South Africa, could negatively impact Eskom's balance sheet and income statement to the tune of billions of rands... ( more) |
Understanding the new municipal electricity price increase
by Roger Lilley, Assistant Editor
 Board member of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), Thembani Bukula, explained how NERSA determined municipal electricity price increases following the increase Eskom has been allowed to charge the municipalities... ( more) |
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Energize editorial changes
EE Publishers is pleased to announce changes in the editorial team of Energize which will take place from the June edition. Roger Lilley, who recently joined EE Publishers, will take over as editor of Energize... (more) |
Energize Inbox
Letters to the Editor
This month's letters cover some of Eskom's history and a reader's response to the BHP Billiton dispute... (more) |
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The Jacob Marley column: A simple question of costing
Scrooge and I used to sit to deep into the night at times, discussing our business in the old counting house. As your erudite readers may recall, Scrooge and Marley was a simple business: we bought and sold and hoped to make a profit... (more) |
Alternative energy no longer alternative
Information from EEnergy Informer
Declining costs of renewable power generation are poised to make these forms of generation more common. "Renewable" power will soon start to be seen as normal. But ask any renewable energy advocate or their lobbyists and they will tell you that the time to cut subsidies and remove mandatory targets has not quite arrived yet... (more) |
Protection at a pumped storage station uses static frequency starting
by David van der Merwe, Eskom Generation (PTM Peaking)
Palmiet Pumped Storage Power Station is due for an upgrade that includes the control and instrumentation system, electrical protection system, excitation system and accelerating system. The acceleration system is a variable frequency converter (SFC) that is shared between two units... (more) |
Global overview of hydropower projects
Information from International Hydropower Association
2012 saw significant investment in hydropower in all regions of the world. The International Hydropower Association (IHA) estimates that 27 - 30 GW of hydropower and 2 GW of pumped storage was commissioned throughout the year... (more)
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Token vending and regulation
by Charles Geldard, NERSA
There are currently over 4-million prepaid electricity customers in South Africa and demand has been growing steadily due to their convenience for both customer and the supplier of electricity. Installations are now being extended to townhouse developments and blocks of flats... (more) |
Security in the smart grid
by Lorna Hardie, Hewlett-Packard
Today's utility is challenged to maintain and improve security of supply, ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty, and address energy sustainability. Public scrutiny has broadened from focusing primarily on supply availability and pricing to include environmental mandates, alternative energy legislation, security and deregulation... (more) |
Flame resistant clothing
by Scott Margolin, Westex
Flame resistant clothing offers the wearer protection from electric arc flash, molten ferrous metals, flash fire, and welding exposures. The most important fabric properties are protection, comfort, and overall value... (more)
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The issues of philosophy in relay protection
by Vladimir Gurevich, consultant
Philosophy is literally "a love of wisdom" and deals with the most general issues of reality. So, why don't we use the attributes of philosophy to analyse the situation around relay protection. It appears that such analysis may result in counter-intuitive findings... (more) |
Assessing a renewal energy project
by Ian Boake, Applied Energy Solutions
A recent article stated that energy efficiency needs to improve by 5% to reduce the demands on the Eskom supply system. An alternative approach would be to use the most efficient equipment but to rather supply as much of this equipment from solar PV power as makes financially feasible sense... (more) |
Local training initiative wins foreign approval
by Dieter Holm, Soltrain
The Southern African Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative (Soltrain) sponsored by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) has been assessed by Dr. Susanne Geissler who travelled to South Africa for the external evaluation... (more) |
Coping with limits for very high penetrations of renewable energy
Information from Cigré
In recent years, the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) on electricity power systems across the world has increased considerably. According to most estimates, this development is set to increase even further over the coming decades, mostly from variable non-synchronous renewable (VNSR) generation... (more) |
Energy efficiency codes for residential buildings
by Chisakula Kaputu, Saku Energy
The need to establish systems and processes necessary to improve energy performance, including energy efficiency, use, consumption and intensity of buildings in residential dwellings through the development of codes, regulations or standards for buildings is paramount... (more) |
Power protection - reliable voltage protection of sensitive loads
Information from ABB
Industrial automation has reached high levels of sophistication. Plants now house some very advanced technology which require a robust and continuous public power grid. Unfortunately, the grid is susceptible to unpredictable and erratic variation and interruption... (more) |
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